| Thursday, January 27, 2022 |
| Peasant accepts position at William Carey | |
 | Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District superintendent Eddie Peasant will join William Carey University's School of Education as assistant dean July 1 after he retires from the district. Peasant announced his retirement Jan. 19 after serving the district since 2017. During his time as SOCSD, he saw the completion of the Partnership Middle School, implemented academic houses to provide high school students with career-ready guidance and helped bring a modified school calendar to the district. Prior to coming to the district, Peasant served as an assistant superintendent for the Tupelo School District and as Clinton High School's principal. "Dr. Peasant's commitment to education makes him a welcome addition to our team," Dean of the WCU School of Education Teresa Poole said in a press release. "His leadership and strong record of strategic planning will build on our record of academic excellence, teacher recruitment and retention initiatives, and K-12 partnerships." |
| Mary Means Business: Starkville food truck craze continues | |
| The food truck business in Starkville continues its craze. A business trio is preparing to open Easy Street Brunch Co. to serve the Starkville and surrounding area. Doug Marcinkowska, Corey Patton and Madalyn Patton will open the food truck and catering shop by the end of February. Madalyn said Easy Street plans to serve breakfast and brunch dishes including brunch burritos, Eggs Benedict sandwiches, pancakes and more. Once open, you can stop by for breakfast Tuesday through Friday 7:30-9:30 a.m. and brunch 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. On Saturdays and Sundays, you can get brunch 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. "For us, choosing Starkville was easy," Madalyn said. "The community is constantly growing and we want to be a part of that growth. We believe starting a brunch food truck will add some diversity to the food scene here in Starkville." The trio wants to open the food truck by the end of February. For location updates and an actual launch date, keep up with Easy Street on social media. Also in Starkville, Spring Street Cigars, 101 Dr. Douglas L. Conner Drive, will host its grand opening this Saturday. Head downtown on Saturday for the cigar shop's event specials, raffles, food and beverages 2-9 p.m. Check out how Spring Street has transformed the former Mugshots location downtown. Also, there's a new bank near The Mill. Guaranty Bank & Trust Company held its grand opening for its Starkville location on Wednesday |
| Oktibbeha votes to contract out engineering services while they weigh hire | |
| Clyde Pritchard has agreed to stay on as a contracted Oktibbeha County engineer for another year while supervisors explore the option of hiring a full time in-house engineer. The board previously voted Jan. 3 not to reinstate Pritchard into his position after some discussion about taking a different approach and potentially hiring an in-house engineer, but, after some discussion, voted Jan. 18 to restore Pritchard to his position. The county has been contracting with Pritchard and his firm, Pritchard Engineering, to manage all engineering projects throughout the county for more than a decade. District 4 Supervisor Bricklee Miller, who was recently appointed as new board president, said she wants to see the county research hiring a full-time engineer as a county employee beginning in 2023 instead of continuing to outsource engineering services. "We're going to see what hiring an in-house county engineer looks like," Miller said. "We've got so many things coming up that we really feel like that it will move us into a positive, new direction as a unit system." An in-house engineer would be a full-time county employee that would work solely on road and infrastructure projects for the county. While the engineer would have to work with outside contractors to execute the projects, the focus of the engineer would be entirely on the county, rather than an engineering company having to share its time with other clients. With all of the approaching projects, board attorney Rob Roberson said he believes the best decision for the immediate future is to retain Pritchard and explore the possibility of hiring an in-house engineer next year. |
| For local governments, in-house and contract engineers each have their benefits | |
| When weighing whether a county government should hire an engineer on-staff or contract out for services, counties must take into consideration the full scope of expected workload, says the president of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Dennis Truax, current president of ASCE and former Director of the Mississippi State University Rula School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, says counties must create an all-encompassing infrastructure and road plan to justify hiring an in-house engineer. Oktibbeha County has long contracted out its engineering needs but plans to explore hiring a full time in-house engineer beginning in 2023. Hiring an on-staff engineer is not cheap, Truax said, with some engineers having six-figure salaries, and if Oktibbeha County were to ever hire someone in-house, it must be committed to the process. He believes if the county is willing to develop a plan that rehabilitates all of its infrastructure on a 7-10 year cycle, that would be enough work to keep an engineer busy to justify hiring one. "It really depends on the amount of work the county wants to do and is committed to doing," Truax said. Truax said he has seen counties with in-house engineers, but more often they contract out with an engineer. Workload isn't the only thing to consider when deciding between in-house and contract, Truax cautioned, stressing the fact that counties sometimes have difficulty in finding a good engineer who can provide consistency, dedication and help the county plan strategically and use resources effectively and in a sustainable way. |
| New MDOT director losing engineers | |
 | The new executive director of the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) says hiring and retaining engineers is one of MDOT's biggest challenges. Speaking in downtown Jackson at the Stennis Press Forum, Brad White, seven months on the job, says taxpayers pay triple the cost when MDOT has to hire outside consultants for a project. Even so, engineer shortages are forcing MDOT to farm out more and more engineering work. White said the private sector is outbidding the state for engineers. He noted that state retirement used to be a big draw for MDOT engineers, but now even that's not enough to compete with higher compensation from private engineering firms. White said MDOT is getting more money from the new federal infrastructure bill but not nearly as much as the public things and much of the money has tight federal restrictions. Appointed unanimously by the three members of the Mississippi Transportation Commission. Prior to joining MDOT, White was chief of staff for Governor Tate Reeves (R). He also previously served as chief of staff for Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss. and former Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss. |
| Ellis renovation 35% complete as manager sought to book monthly shows | |
| For anyone who ever doubted whether the $30 million Congress of Country Music would actually come to fruition, Marty Stuart says seeing is believing. A half-million dollar donation from a Merle Haggard fan in Reno is a done deal now and there are others as a search for a professional to manage the Ellis and book monthly shows is on. Former Gov. Haley R. Barbour and his wife Marsha are hosting a fundraiser in Jackson next month as a $4 million renovation of the Ellis funded by the state progresses. "As people see construction going on at the Ellis Theater, they are realizing the Congress of Country Music is going to happen," Stuart said earlier this month. "It's been happening for a long time but it is finally visible. "My hope from day one has been that somehow it would start catching fire and the town would have a whole new chapter. I think the Ellis and the Congress of Country Music, as it comes to life, it will be a viable part of that renaissance of this town." Stuart, a five-time GRAMMY-winner, platinum recording artist, is bringing a dream to his hometown. Renovation on the Ellis began in late October and is 35 percent complete. The renovation is Phase I of the $30 million project. When completed the complex will feature a renovated Ellis along with a museum to display Stuart's 20,000-plus piece collection of country music memorabilia. There will also be classrooms, a community hall, event space and a rooftop performance venue. |
| It's a hot year for crawfish across the South, with cheap prices along the Mississippi Coast | |
 | The seasonal business of crawfish distributors and retailers has come to its annual beginning, and suppliers report good news for aficionados of the crustacean Cajun staple. "The crawfish season that we're having right now is looking very, very good," said Bill Roberts, owner of the Crawfish House & Grill in Ocean Springs. "I think anybody that's planning a boil should go ahead and keep planning, because I think it's going to be a great year for everybody all around with crawfish," said Benny Miller, general manager of the Louisiana Seafood Exchange in New Orleans. The South Mississippi Crawfish Company, a Hattiesburg restaurant, will open for the first time this season on Thursday. Owner Paul Sims says crawfish prices per pound are "about a dollar cheaper than we were starting weekend last season." The comparatively low prices reflect an abundant supply due to weather in November and December that was "perfect" for crawfish breeding in Louisiana, according to Miller. Appetite for crawfish has grown dramatically in Mississippi and elsewhere over recent years. Until 10 or 15 years ago, "crawfish used to be a Louisiana thing," Miller said. And when Roberts opened the Crawfish House & Grill in 2014, he said it was the area's only bar serving crawfish. But now crawfish is beloved across the South, and the industry in Louisiana has grown to match the demand. |
| 3,000 jobs. $165M in contracts. Here is what's new at Ingalls as US Navy Secretary visits | |
| Twenty years before he was appointed U.S. Secretary of the Navy, Carlos Del Toro was stationed in Pascagoula and helped build the USS Bulkeley (DDG-84) at Ingalls Shipyard. He returned to the shipyard Wednesday, five months after becoming the Navy Secretary and overseeing a budget of $210 billion. The first shift of 11,500 employees continued working on several ships while Del Toro and members of the Coast delegation in Washington -- Sen. Roger Wicker, Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Rep. Steven Palazzo -- went aboard ships and toured parts of the 800-acre site. They spoke to the media in front of the recently-launched USS Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD-29). Del Toro served in the Navy for 22 years and was at Ingalls from 1999, when construction of the Bulkeley began, to about 2001. Del Toro said it's important to return to Pascagoula and see the investments made and the advances in technology to build the ships faster and better, and to have them delivered on schedule and on budget. The shipyard hired 3,000 workers last year and plans to hire another 3,000 this year, said Danny Hernandez, spokesman for Ingalls Shipbuilding. It's also seen $800 million in renovation projects and upgrades over the past five years, he said. Ingalls Shipyard has 11 ships under construction and more under contract. It is the only shipyard in the country that has four different government ship programs under construction, Hernandez said. |
| New Stennis International Airport hangar provides economic boost for the Coast | |
 | A sign of the RESTORE Act's impact on the Coast was on full display in Hancock County on Wednesday with the official opening of another hangar at Stennis International Airport. Gov. Tate Reeves was joined by Rep. Steven Palazzo for a ribbon-cutting of the new 24,000 square-foot hangar. The $5 million hangar was paid for in part by RESTORE Act funding. "We've seen over $400 million in projects all along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, but this is going to improve the quality of life, create jobs and it's going to pay dividends for generations to come," Palazzo said. "We have an opportunity here to see really good-paying jobs come to this region and our economy is going to boom because of it," Reeves said. According to Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission CEO Bill Cotter, building the hangar made a big difference in attracting Tyonek Services Group. Aviation maintenance using 50 employees is now used to work on aircraft like the CV-22 Osprey. "The hangar today is really a sustainment of a program that could have been lost to Huntsville, Alabama," Cotter said. "Hangars like this keep the workforce here and keeps people employed on the Gulf Coast." |
| Economy grew 5.7% last year, its best showing since 1984, as activity revived amid pandemic | |
 | The U.S. economy bounced back sharply in the fourth quarter as consumers splurged again after a summer spike in COVID-19 cases eased and businesses replenished depleted inventories. The rebound helped the economy turn in its strongest year of growth since 1984 as business reopenings and rising vaccinations unleashed a well of pent-up demand. The nation's gross domestic product, the value of all goods and services produced in the U.S., increased at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.9% in the October-December period, the Commerce Department said Thursday. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg had forecast a 5.3% rise in GDP. The showing followed just a 2.3% advance in the third quarter, when the economy was constrained by the spread of COVID's delta variant, supply chain bottlenecks, soaring inflation and the fading effects of federal stimulus measures. For the year, the economy grew 5.7% and generated a record 6.4 million jobs. In 2020, the economy shrank 3.4% and lost 9.4 million jobs as the pandemic shuttered businesses and kept Americans from their normal activities. But the health crisis made 2021 a volatile comeback year, and that's expected to continue, at least through the early part of this year. "The economy is set to face the same problems: a virus that won't go away, severe supply issues and persistent price pressure," Wells Fargo economist Sam Bullard wrote in a note to clients. But all three headwinds should ease through the year, says economist Kathy Bostjancic of Oxford Economics. And continued strong wage growth rooted in persistent labor shortages are likely to fuel strong consumer spending just as a receding health crisis coaxes Americans to resume traveling and other activities. |
| Fed Interest-Rate Decision Tees Up March Increase | |
 | The Federal Reserve signaled it would begin steadily raising interest rates in mid-March, its latest step toward removing stimulus to bring down inflation. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said Wednesday that the central bank was ready to raise rates at its March 15-16 meeting and could continue to lift them faster than it did during the past decade. "This is going to be a year in which we move steadily away from the very highly accommodative monetary policy that we put in place to deal with the economic effects of the pandemic," he said at a news conference following a Fed policy meeting. Mr. Powell left the door open to raising rates at consecutive policy meetings, which are held roughly every six weeks. That is something the Fed hasn't done since 2006. "I don't think it's possible to say exactly how this is going to go," he said. Earlier, Mr. Powell said, "I think there's quite a bit of room to raise interest rates without threatening the labor market." Mr. Powell's remarks led investors in interest-rate futures markets to fully anticipate a March rate increase of at least one-quarter percentage point and a nearly 70% chance of a second rate increase by the Fed's meeting after that in early May, according to CME Group. Mr. Powell suggested that the Fed wasn't likely to offer any forward guidance, the term used for the central bank's statements describing its intentions with interest rates over the next few years. Forward guidance has been a central feature of Fed policy. |
| Medical marijuana bill passes, heads to Mississipi governor | |
 | Mississippi lawmakers are sending their governor a bill that would create a medical marijuana program for people with serious medical conditions. If it becomes law, as anticipated, Mississippi would join the majority of states that let people use cannabis for medical reasons. The House and Senate on Wednesday both passed the final version of the measure, Senate Bill 2095. Republican Gov. Tate Reeves could sign the bill, veto it or let it become law without his signature. He has not said what he will do, but legislators passed it by a wide enough margin to override a veto. The bill says patients could buy up to to 3.5 grams of cannabis per day, up to six days a week. That is about 3 ounces per month. The bill also sets taxes on production and sale of cannabis, and it specifies that plants must be grown indoors under controlled conditions. Reeves told WLOX-TV on Wednesday that he will have lawyers review the bill before he decides whether to sign it. "We worked hard to reduce the overall amount of marijuana in the bill, and to the Legislature's credit, they made a lot of progress there," Reeves said. |
| Legislature passes medical cannabis legislation, sends bill to governor | |
 | The Mississippi Legislature on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed the final version of a bill that creates a statewide medical marijuana program for people with urgent medical problems. The legislation will head to Gov. Tate Reeves for approval. "This is a great day, and it's been a long time coming," House Drug Policy Chairman Lee Yancey said. The House approved the bill 103-13. Three Northeast Mississippi House members opposed the legislation: Republican Reps. Chris Brown of Nettleton, Dana McLean of Columbus and Brady Williamson of Oxford. The Senate approved the measure 46-6. The only Northeast Mississippi senator who opposed the measure is Sen. Kathy Chism, R-New Albany. The bill now heads to the governor's desk. Reeves has previously threatened to veto the legislation because he wanted the amount of cannabis a patient is allowed to receive to be reduced. Yancey and Sen. Kevin Blackwell -- the two architects of the legislation -- and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann told reporters that they have not personally communicated with the governor about the cannabis bill. Once Reeves receives the bill, he has five days to either veto the bill or sign it into law. If Reeves does neither, it will become law without his signature. |
| 'Long time overdue': Mississippi Legislature sends medical marijuana bill to governor | |
| The Legislature with little debate and overwhelming vote margins on Wednesday sent to the governor a bill to legalize medical marijuana in Mississippi. "I'm so excited for the patients of Mississippi," said Angie Calhoun, founder of the Mississippi Cannabis Patients Alliance and mother of a son who suffered seizures and other chronic problems and at one point moved out of the state to use medical cannabis. "This has been a long time overdue for them, and relief is something we can actually see in the near future for them. I'm also excited for the voters of this state, to finally have their will enacted ... So many members of our Legislature did what they said they would do, give the state a very good medical marijuana program and regard the will of the voters." Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann called the measure one of the most parsed in Senate history and said he was glad to have the issue put to rest for now. The Senate passed the final version of Senate Bill 2095 with a vote of 46-4. The House passed it 103-13. Gov. Tate Reeves' office did not respond to questions of whether he would sign the measure. Reeves had threatened to veto an earlier version of the bill, but lawmakers said they made many of the concessions he wanted. |
| Mississippi's strict felony voting ban unlikely to be addressed in 2022 session | |
| Any effort during the 2022 legislative session to restore voting rights to people convicted of certain felonies most likely will be modest. The House Judiciary B Committee passed legislation this week to ensure that people whose crimes are expunged regain their right to vote. But that legislation, if passed, would fall short of addressing the state's antiquated and strict constitutional provision imposing a lifetime ban on people convicted of certain felonies. Before the session began, House Judiciary B Chair Nick Bain, R-Corinth, said he intended to try to pass legislation addressing lifetime voting ban for people convicted of certain felonies. Bain has said he thinks the judiciary, not the Legislature, should restore voting rights. The Mississippi Constitution currently strips voting rights from people convicted of several specific crimes, and it takes a legislative suffrage bill or gubernatorial pardon to restore those rights. Lawmakers typically pass few, if any, suffrage bills g restoring the right to vote, and current Gov. Tate Reeves and his predecessor, Phil Bryant, have not granted pardons. Bain said he is taking the more modest approach this session because he does not believe he can garner the votes needed to make significant changes to the process of restoring voting rights. "Sometimes you have to eat the elephant one bite at a time, and that's what we are doing," Bain said. |
| Mississippi capital city struggles with aging water system | |
| The unreliable water system in Mississippi's capital city causes problems several times a year at Styles of Essence hair salon, where water service can suddenly get cut off as workers repair broken pipes nearby. Owner and stylist Belinda Smith keeps more than a dozen jugs of water in the small shop in south Jackson, stashed under sinks and along the base of a wall painted with the slogan, "Jesus Is Lord." Even if water stops flowing from the city system, she needs to rinse chemicals off her customers' hair. Jackson has longstanding, expensive-to-fix problems with its aging water system, and the EPA issued a notice this week that the system violates the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. The order directs the city to outline a plan to "correct the significant deficiencies identified" in an EPA report within 45 days. The city is experiencing water woes again this week because temperatures dipped below freezing and caused problems with membranes in a treatment plant. Crews have been scrambling to fix newly broken pipes, and several Jackson schools closed for in-person instruction because they had no water or low pressure. Jackson will request at least $42 million for short-term water system repairs as state legislators consider how to spend Mississippi's share of federal money for infrastructure improvements and pandemic relief, said Justin Vicory, who works in communications for Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba. Legislators have not decided how much of the pandemic relief money to spend on water and sewer systems statewide, although an initial proposal is about $750 million. |
| Work underway to clear blighted properties near State Fairgrounds | |
| Work is underway on blighted properties by the Mississippi Fairgrounds. The State of Mississippi now owns two of the three properties there, and already changes can be seen. The area around the former OYO and Regency hotels is now practically cleared. Eventually both properties will be demolished. The idea is to make the property safe and beautiful. Whatever structure is eventually placed there will serve as a gateway into the State Fairgrounds. "This is the most traveled interstate in the state of Mississippi," explained Ag. Commissioner Andy Gipson. "Hundreds of thousands of vehicles, millions even, travel up and down I-55 and they've been seeing the back of property that has fallen into disrepair. But now they'll see a beautiful clean space opening into the state fairgrounds and that's good for the City of Jackson and that's good for the state fairgrounds." Capitol police will patrol the area. |
| MS04: Wiggins reports raising over $125k since announcing his run for the 4th District | |
 | The latest round of campaign finance reports is about to drop from the Federal Election Commission (FEC) as the 2022 midterms begin to heat up in the weeks ahead. Reports are due on January 31st and reflect the prior quarter's fundraising, meaning from October to December 2021. The biggest race to watch in Mississippi is in the 4th Congressional District, as six Republicans have announced runs against incumbent Congressman Steven Palazzo. Two Democrats, a Libertarian and an Independent have also stated their intentions to seek the seat. State Senator Brice Wiggins (R) announced he was running for the 4th Congressional seat at the end of October 2021. In eight weeks, his campaign has raised over $125,000 for his bid. In a release provided to Y'all Politics, Wiggins says he was pleased with the initial finance reporting as it shows people are taking notice of his campaign. "We went from $0 to over $125,000 in just over two months," said Wiggins. "Our campaign is resonating with people throughout the Fourth Congressional District. That total came from almost every county in the district." By comparison and based on the previous FEC filings (July through September 2021), Wiggins appears to be on track with or above others who have announced for the 4th District race. Incumbent Congressman Steven Palazzo (R) last reported cash on hand of $305,000. According to the FEC, he raised just over $213,000 from the beginning of January to the end of September in 2021. |
| Breyer: A pragmatic approach searching for a middle ground | |
| Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer has the air of an absent-minded professor, once joking in court that his wife put directions in his pocket to keep him from getting lost. He concocts outlandish hypothetical questions to try to get answers to difficult questions, often to the frustration of lawyers with limited time to make their arguments. But if Breyer cultivates such an image, it does not mask a razor-sharp intellect, a sunny disposition or a relentlessly pragmatic approach to the law that often finds him searching for a middle ground or grasping for an outcome he can live with on an increasingly conservative court. Breyer, 83, plans to retire, multiple sources told The Associated Press, but almost certainly not before the court finishes its work in early summer. Although Breyer's votes usually put him to the left of center on an increasingly conservative court, he frequently saw the gray in situations that colleagues to his right and left preferred to describe as black or white. His willingness to side with authority when some of his liberal colleagues did not was part of his makeup. An Eagle Scout, Breyer was a believer in government and in working together to solve problems. He liked to point out that as an aide to Democratic Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, he worked daily with his counterpart on the staff of Republican Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina. The consistent message from their bosses, Breyer said, was to work things out. That same attitude didn’t always carry over to the high court, especially after the retirement of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. The first woman on the Supreme Court was a former state lawmaker who was practiced in the art of political compromise. |
| A guide to the Black female judges who are contenders to replace Justice Breyer | |
 | Justice Stephen G. Breyer, 83, will retire at the end of the Supreme Court's term, clearing the way for President Biden to make his first nomination to the nation's highest judicial body. As a candidate, Biden said that if given the opportunity, he would nominate an African American woman -- who, if confirmed, would become the first Black female Supreme Court justice. Speculation on whom Biden might choose began quickly after news reports emerged of Breyer's planned retirement. Here's a quick guide to three of the top contenders. Ketanji Brown Jackson, 51, serves as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. She was born in Washington, the daughter of two graduates of historically Black colleges and universities who instilled in her a sense that she could do or be anything she set her mind to, she recalled in a speech in March. In June, Biden nominated Jackson to fill Merrick Garland's seat on the D.C. Circuit after Garland was confirmed as attorney general. This fueled speculation that she was on the president's shortlist for potential justices because the D.C. court is considered the second-most powerful in the country and because high court nominees are traditionally chosen from the federal appeals bench. Leondra Kruger, 45, is a California Supreme Court justice. At the U.S. Department of Justice, she served as deputy solicitor general, the federal government's second-ranking representative in arguments at the Supreme Court, before becoming one of the youngest people ever nominated to the high court in California, taking her seat in 2015. J. Michelle Childs, 55, has served on the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina for over a decade. Biden unexpectedly nominated her last month to serve on the high-profile D.C. Circuit, surprising Washington-area lawyers who had anticipated a pick with local ties. |
| Retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer will leave a mark on science in the courtroom | |
| U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, who is expected to announce his retirement [today], has made a notable impact on the use of science in the courtroom during his 27 years on the nation's highest court. In particular, in opinions and other writings, Breyer helped clarify how federal judges should handle expert testimony on scientific or technical issues. "[T]he law itself increasingly requires access to sound science," Breyer wrote in a 1998 essay for Science, in which he argued that judges increasingly needed education about technical issues. In particular, he noted that Supreme Court decisions -- including one he would later write -- empowered federal judges to decide what kinds of expert testimony to allow into the courtroom. "[T]he law imposes on trial judges the duty, with respect to scientific evidence, to become evidentiary gatekeepers," he wrote, and "determine whether purported scientific evidence is 'reliable.'" A few years later, in Issues in Science and Technology, Breyer wrote that legal proceedings were not necessarily a "search for scientific precision. We cannot hope to investigate all the subtleties that characterize good scientific work. But the law must seek decisions that fall within the boundaries of scientifically sound knowledge." Among those who follow science in the courts, Breyer is especially known for the 1999 decision he authored in Kumho Tire Co. v. Carmichael. It built on two previous opinions, in Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals and General Electric v. Joiner, that set standards for admitting expert witnesses. |
| 'RINO approach': Conservatives turn up heat on McConnell for a Republican agenda | |
 | Key conservatives are panning Mitch McConnell's decision against offering an alternative agenda to voters if Republicans reclaim control of the U.S. Senate later this year. While GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy has begun putting forward outlines of legislation he'd pursue in a Republican-led U.S. House, McConnell has demurred at that approach, preferring to stick to a playbook of battering weakened Democrats. "I think this is another example of McConnell being out of step with the Republican Party. He doesn't want to run on an agenda, because he wants to control things afterwards. Everybody from McCarthy to Donald Trump, every candidate is going to run on an agenda," said David McIntosh, president of the Club for Growth, the powerful small government advocacy group. "That's the old Republican, kind of RINO approach, that [John] Boehner had in the House and now McConnell has. And it's the reason that we lost the majority. Because we had candidates in Georgia that didn't really stand for anything." Brent Bozell, founder of the Media Research Center, fretted that the absence of a conservative policy agenda is pure "stupidity" which risks handing a reason for some voters to stick with a Democratic Senate. With a 50-50 Senate up for grabs in November, McConnell has indicated he sees the 2022 midterm elections as primarily focused on the Democratic Party's failures to stem inflation, the surge of undocumented immigrants at the southern border and President Joe Biden's mishandling of foreign policy, including last summer's abrupt pull-out in Afghanistan and an emboldened Russia now threatening war in Ukraine. A fresh unknown for McConnell to calculate is the pending fight over a new Supreme Court Justice in the wake of Stephen Breyer's imminent retirement. |
| Supreme Court confirmation battle could shift focus in midterms | |
 | An opening on the Supreme Court nine months before the midterm elections promised to inject a new urgency into the battle for the Senate majority, with both parties rushing Wednesday to remind voters of the stakes of the upcoming confirmation battle. An expected announcement from Justice Steven G. Breyer would mark the fourth time in a row the Senate will face a Supreme Court vacancy in the final year before a federal election. Unlike the blocked consideration of nominee Merrick B. Garland in 2016 and the confirmations of Justices Brett M. Kavanaugh in 2018 and Amy Coney Barrett in 2020, President Joe Biden's pick is unlikely to change the ideological makeup of the court since Breyer is the court's senior liberal member. So campaign messaging this time is expected to be more focused around issues before the court -- including abortion rights, health care access and coronavirus mitigation efforts -- on which each party sees its opponents as out of touch with mainstream America. For Democrats, the vacancy may help change the public's focus from topics that have weighed on the party's House and Senate majorities, including their inability to pass key parts of their agenda, high inflation rates and the continued fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. Republicans, meanwhile, saw it as an opportunity to remind voters of the power of the conservative justices seated during President Donald Trump's administration, pointing to elections in 2021 in which the GOP candidates seemed to pick up momentum. |
| Democrats Renew Push to Pass Industrial Policy Bill to Counter China | |
 | Biden administration officials and Democrats in Congress are pushing to revive stalled legislation that would pour billions of dollars into scientific research and development and shore up domestic manufacturing, amid deep differences on Capitol Hill about the best way to counter China and confront persistent supply chain woes. House Democrats unveiled a 2,900-page bill on Tuesday evening that would authorize $45 billion in grants and loans to support supply chain resilience and American manufacturing, along with providing billions of dollars in new funding for scientific research. Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement that she hoped lawmakers would quickly begin negotiations with the Senate, which passed its own version of the bill last June, to settle on compromise legislation that could be sent to President Biden for his signature. But the effort faces obstacles in Congress, where attempts to sink significant federal resources into scientific research and development to bolster competitiveness with China and combat a shortage of semiconductors have faltered. But facing a disruptive semiconductor shortage that has broken down supply chains and helped fuel inflation, Democrats are now vigorously pressing ahead on the bill. The measures would also pour billions more into scientific research and development pipelines in the United States, create grants and foster agreements between companies and research universities to encourage breakthroughs in new technologies, and establish new manufacturing jobs and apprenticeships. |
| Biden team promises new approach to extremism, but critics see old patterns | |
 | There is widespread agreement that domestic extremism poses a grave threat. But the Biden administration's response has some observers wondering if the president's team is recycling past mistakes or failing to grasp the scope of the challenge. As President Biden begins his second year in office, his administration continues to roll out efforts aimed at the threat of violent domestic terrorism. It has identified violent white supremacy and extremist militias as the greatest current threats. Its arsenal includes a program at the Department of Homeland Security called the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3). Billed as an entirely new approach to prevention, top officials say it puts local communities at the center in the fight against the spread of ideologies that inspire targeted violence and terrorism. But some outside observers worry that it closely resembles earlier problematic anti-terrorism efforts at DHS, and that it falls short of meeting a post-Jan. 6 reality in the U.S. Cynthia Miller-Idriss says she is encouraged to see top security officials using phrases such as "public health" and "whole of society" in describing CP3's violence prevention strategy. Miller-Idriss is professor and director of research at the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL) at American University. Miller, whose lab is partnering with a CP3 grantee, also credits the program for embracing a local response. But she notes that after the attack on the Capitol, it has become clear that lies, misinformation and hate are no longer only driving individuals to commit acts of violence. Idriss-Miller says they are contributing to the corrosion of American democracy, itself. |
| USM creates new online marketing program | |
 | The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) has created a new online Marketing BSBA program. Students will learn about the following: Working with a client. Developing a marketing plan. Completing an internship. Studying abroad. Creating marketing materials. Leading a student group. Earning a star in USM's Tri-Star program. Students who earn their online Marketing BSBA degree can work in sales, marketing research and social media content and strategy. The program will be offered during the fall, spring and summer semesters. |
| Jackson State University chosen for inaugural Getty Images grant | |
 | Jackson State University has been chosen as one of the first recipients of the Getty Images Photo Archives Grants for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, aimed at preserving the impact and contributions of the institutions nationwide. University officials said funding from the grant will help with the digitization of 50,000 photos in Jackson State's archives. The illustrations of Tracy Sugarman, as well as the Freedom Summer Photograph Collection and the Gibbs Green Memorial Collection, will be among the rare photos released into the new digital collection. "Preserving the rich culture and heritage of the African diaspora found at HBCUs is an essential step in ensuring that the stories of our ancestors are accessible to share for generations to come," Jackson State President Thomas K. Hudson said in a statement. Three other universities -- Claflin University in Orangeburg, South Carolina, North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina, and Prairie View A&M in Prairie View, Texas -- will share the $500,000 in grants with Jackson State. |
| HBCU scholarships will help fight against health care disparities | |
| Racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare continue to be a serious problem plaguing rural and poor communities. Many times, people living there are left with little to no help because of their zip code. The Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Novartis, a leading global medicines company, is offering millions to Historically Black Colleges to help the next generation of leaders in health, business and social equity related fields improve those conditions. "Healthcare disparities are real," said Jackson State President Thomas Hudson. "They are impactful and they are a big issue within Mississippi." Hudson says it concerns him how poor and rural communities suffer due to the lack of insurance and access to quality health care. "I understand the difficulty in trying to serve communities where you don't have the hospitals, you don't have the clinics, and you do have to start up on your own in a lot of instances. And you really don't have the opportunity." Hudson says education and funding are key to helping erase racial and ethnic disparities in those affected areas and communities of color. That's why he is excited about the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Novartis US Foundation's new 10-year, $20 million collaboration to provide scholarships, mentorships and grants to students and faculty at Historically Black Colleges, Universities and Medical Schools. |
| EMCC's Communiversity offers the workforce development programs Gov. Reeves says can revitalize the job market | |
 | During his State of the State address Tuesday, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves emphasized the need to continue investing in workforce development programs. Programs like those at East Mississippi Community College's Communiversity, which offer workforce training in areas like certified nursing, computer-aided design, maintenance, and more. "I believe that if we make this investment, Mississippi will develop that workforce of the future and set up our state for success for years to come," the governor said during his address. Gov. Reeves believes these programs can help the state end the labor shortage as well as train Mississippians to succeed in well-paying jobs. "Advanced manufacturing, construction, and healthcare are areas that we're giving a lot of attention to help solve the skills crisis and worker shortage in the local area," says EMCC President Dr. Scott Alsobrooks. Dr. Alsobrooks says the school partners with local businesses to help students develop the specific skills that employers are looking for. |
| Critical race theory divides Gulf South educators, state leaders | |
 | Every time Annemarie Gray begins teaching a new unit in her history class, she changes the posters on the walls of her classroom at the Alabama School of Fine Arts in Birmingham. They currently feature Andrew Jackson and maps showing what's known as the Trail of Tears. For the next lesson, she'll put up photos of abolitionists who fought for the end of slavery. Gray, who is white, says telling the whole story has always been important in her lessons. "I've always sort of said that when it comes to teaching American history, I teach the good, the bad and the ugly," Gray said. "Frankly, I would challenge anyone to come into my classroom and tell me that I'm teaching anything that isn't the truth." But in Alabama, Mississippi and other parts of the country, the truth of American history is being challenged because of a concept that's becoming a political football across the country -- critical race theory. Last week, all Black lawmakers in Mississippi's state senate walked out of the Legislature's chambers in protest of a bill that would prohibit how race is discussed in public schools, including topics related to critical race theory. The bill passed anyway. But attorney Robert McDuff, with the Mississippi Center for Justice, says even when bills that limit teacher speech do pass, they rarely go anywhere. "I think the states of Mississippi and Alabama and other states who are considering these laws should really avoid wading into that swamp because it's simply not worth it," McDuff, who is white, said. "The problem they claim exists really doesn't and it's a mistake for politicians to get into the business of telling teachers what they should teach in the classroom." The seasoned attorney also said that these bills usually run afoul of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and he predicts the long and costly lawsuits usually result in the state governments losing and having to pay for the legal battles. |
| Alabama focused on mitigating 'brain drain' | |
| The ranking sits out there staring Alabama's leaders in the face. Alabama is the nation's third worst state at retaining its college graduates, according to Forbes magazine. Although two out of three in-state students are in the workforce one year after graduation, the Wall Street Journal reports the retention of recent Alabama college graduates is low compared to other states. ACHE compiled the first statewide study of how Alabama graduates, from certificate holders to those with doctoral degrees, are faring in the workforce. The 2020 Employment Outcomes Report found differences between graduates by credential level. Five years after graduation, 71% of associate degree graduates stayed in the state, but slightly more than half (51%) of Alabama public university bachelor's degree recipients were employed in the state. ACHE Jim Purcell was succinct in his assessment of the brain drain impact for Alabama's economy. "Think about trying to build an economy based on half of your graduates," he said in a recent interview. Another disconcerting factor is that the retention rate is lower for STEM graduates, and "those are very important long term for the state's economy," Purcell added. The findings from the Retain Alabama survey indicate that most undergraduates are open to staying in Alabama following graduation, but Purcell said more effort is crucial to keep young talent in Alabama. |
| To reach underrepresented students, Auburn teaches them to takeoff | |
| In 1985, on the same day that Bo Jackson received the Heisman Trophy, a federal judge ruled that Alabama must desegregate its colleges. With a Black student population of roughly 3%, Auburn was labeled the most segregated college in the state. Last fall, only 5% of Auburn students were Black. Since 2007, Black enrollment has been declining, both in terms of percentage and number of people. In December 2021, the University announced it had received an all-time high in freshman applications for fall 2022 -- a 69% increase from fall 2021 and a 155% increase from fall 2020. Over 40,000 applications were received, with a 76% increase in students applying from Alabama and a 100% increase from students with diverse backgrounds. "I would say a student from a diverse background would be considered an underrepresented student," said Joffery Gaymon, Auburn University vice president for enrollment. "That would be an underrepresented geographic location, an underrepresented minority population or socio-economically disadvantaged background." Gaymon has been at Auburn in her role since 2019, coordinating the University's enrollment strategy and directly overseeing the Office of Undergraduate Recruitment, including new student recruitment. Recruitment also works with the Office of Inclusion and Diversity to recruit students. Last year, they collaborated on an event called Tiger Takeoff, an overnight, on-campus experience that takes place right before the admissions application opens. |
| U. of South Carolina hires Title IX director to oversee sexual harassment and discrimination complaints | |
 | The University of South Carolina has hired a top official to oversee sexual harassment and discrimination complaints, the university announced Tuesday. Molly Peirano, who had been the interim Title IX director at Ohio State University since 2020, has been named USC's assistant vice president for civil rights and Title IX at South Carolina. "Fulfilling the educational mission of the university depends on an environment where all members of our community feel safe, and where discrimination and harassment is not tolerated," Peirano, a USC alumna, said in a news release. Peirano was selected for the recently-created position following a national search, USC said in a news release. She will replace Mark Shook, USC's dean of students, who had been serving temporarily in that role since March 2021. The position is a part of USC's response to a series of lawsuits and an investigative report from The State Media Co. that exposed allegations USC mishandled reports of sexual harassment. This is also the first major, interim position to be filled by a long-term employee since Michael Amiridis was named president-elect on Jan. 14 in a unanimous vote by the USC board of trustees. |
| Texas A&M ag economist shares factors, trends behind continued high meat prices | |
 | Brandon Hurtado said he had a joke to share before leading a workshop on how to grow business through social media at the seventh annual Texas Barbecue Town Hall on Monday. Hurtado then pulled up a slide on a screen with two words: Brisket prices. The owner of Arlington's Hurtado Barbecue garnered a few soft laughs from a crowd of approximately 60 people attending the daylong meeting inside Texas A&M's AgriLife Center, but high meat prices continue to pose a serious ongoing issue for pit masters and restaurant owners. Across the board from beef to pork and poultry, meat prices continue to be high nationwide. David Anderson, a professor and AgriLife Extension economist in A&M's Department of Agricultural Economics, shared some of the contributing factors of this continued issue during an economic update of the livestock and meat industries at the town hall meeting. "They're focused on running their restaurant business," Anderson said of the town hall attendees. "They're buying meat from the packers, these different cuts that they need, so they don't have a lot of time to see, to look at what are the underlying conditions that are affecting those meat prices to them. They're buying at this wholesale level, but there's a whole bunch of things happening on farms and ranches and cattle numbers and chicken numbers and hogs that are really directly affecting what they're paying for meat. I think a better handle of what's going on at that fundamental level, I think it helps them better plan for the future." |
| Three U. of Missouri professors recognized for efforts in scientific advancement | |
 | Three University of Missouri professors have been named 2021 Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Lee-Ann H. Allen, Susan Renoe and Cheryl S. Rosenfeld were recognized by the AAAS for their distinguished efforts in advancing various fields of science. Allen, a professor and chair of the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, was recognized for her studies on the functions of the immune system, including the effects of Helicobacter pylori, a type of bacteria that lives in the human stomach and causes peptic ulcers and gastric cancer. Renoe was recognized for her role in "strengthening the societal impacts of science and engineering" as the associate vice chancellor for strategic initiatives in the Office of Research and Economic Development. Rosenfeld is a professor of biomedical sciences in the MU College of Veterinary Medicine. She was recognized for her research on reproductive biology and endocrine disruption. Rosenfeld is investigating the way developmental exposure to substances -- such as medications or chemicals found in plastic -- affects humans and animals. |
| U. of Washington language guide says 'grandfather,' 'housekeeping,' 'spirit animal' are 'problematic' words | |
| A University of Washington language guide is calling everyday words used by Americans "problematic." The University of Washington Information Technology department released an "inclusive language guide" that lists a number of "problematic words" that are "racist," "sexist," "ageist," or "homophobic." According to the guide, words such as "grandfather," "housekeeping," "minority," "ninja," and "lame" are considered "problematic words." For example, the language guide states that the word "lame" is considered problematic because it's "ableist." "This word is offensive, even when it's used in slang for uncool because it's using a disability in a negative way to imply that the opposite, which would be not lame, to be superior," the guide states. The guide considers "grandfather" a "problematic word" because the term was "used as a way to exempt some people from a change because of conditions that existed before the change." "'Grandfather clause' originated in the American South in the 1890s as a way to defy the 15th Amendment and prevent black Americans from voting," the guide explains. "Housekeeping," is another "problematic" word that the guide recommends should be avoided by others working in the information technology industry because it can "feel gendered." The language guide also considers "preferred pronouns" as "problematic" because the term "preferred" suggests that "a person's pronoun is optional." |
| More time, grants for COVID-19-impacted Stanford professors | |
 | Most institutions stopped junior faculty members' tenure clocks for a semester or two when COVID-19 first hit the U.S., to account for research delays and increased caregiving demands at home. Far fewer institutions have adopted additional policies aimed at alleviating the continued burden on faculty members since then. That's despite the personal and professional disruptions posed by new virus variants, the fact that professors with children under 5 still can't get them vaccinated, ongoing uncertainty about international research travel and more. Stanford University is among the few institutions to have offered formal support for professors beyond the initial tenure-clock stoppage: last winter, it made pretenure faculty members automatically eligible for a "post-pandemic" quarter devoted to research only (no teaching or service). One year later, Stanford is offering junior faculty members an additional pretenure research leave quarter or an additional year on the tenure clock (for a total of two extra years). These professors are also eligible for financial help for childcare or other personal expenses, in the form of a taxable salary grant of up to $30,000, and small research grants of up to $10,000 or large research grants of up to $100,000. More broadly, the opt-in dynamic recognizes how the pandemic has affected different academics in different ways. Numerous studies have shown that women and caregivers -- and women caregivers in particular -- have had a particularly rough two years balancing work and home, and even different duties at work. Meanwhile, some professors -- likely those without added caregiving responsibilities or other disruptions to their research -- actually increased their scholarly productivity during the pandemic. |
| Amid union protests, U. of Louisville ensures staff of COVID-related work flexibility and a pay bump | |
| A union representing campus workers claimed victory Tuesday after University of Louisville leaders said they are giving a 1% salary increase for certain professors and staff and ensuring they have the flexibility to work remotely during the omicron wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. But university officials said the union was making inaccurate claims and the announcements around pay and remote work follow previously shared plans and policies. In a Tuesday afternoon email to faculty and staff, U of L administrators said they "want to clarify the university's position on flexible scheduling." "Since the beginning of our COVID-19 response, we have asked faculty and staff to be flexible with students who are complying with our health and safety protocols by staying home when experiencing symptoms, in quarantine or in isolation," wrote the six administrators, including interim Provost Gerry Bradley and Dean of Students and Vice President for Student Affairs Michael Mardis. "Faculty and staff also have flexible instruction and work options when following COVID-19 protocols. Faculty may utilize their continuity of instruction plans (such as temporarily shifting to online instruction) and staff can utilize remote work options as agreed upon with their supervisor." A few days earlier, interim President Lori Stewart Gonzalez told U of L faculty and staff in a Friday email that starting March 1, all eligible staff employed on or before Jan. 1, 2022, will receive a 1% pay bump, "making good" on a commitment announced last summer. |
| How Dual Enrollment Varies Across Southern States | |
| The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization focused on improving education in its 16 member states in the South, released a report outlining key issues in dual enrollment across those member states -- and how each addresses them. Challenges include student access, eligibility, and cost as well as program quality, funding, and data reporting. "Dual enrollment plays a key role first and foremost in helping students get an early start on postsecondary education opportunities," said Dr. Dale Winkler, vice president of school improvement at SREB. Dual enrollment programs allow high school students to take college courses for credit. Recently, such programs have surged in popularity in the South. Of SREB's 16 member states, Winkler pointed out that 14 have passed dual enrollment legislation in the past three years. But even though all 16 SREB states offer dual enrollment, how these programs work and the students they reach -- or leave out -- can vary greatly. "One of the things that we found in our work is that there isn't a lot of uniformity around how people are approaching funding for dual enrollment," said Dr. Stephen L. Pruitt, president of SREB. The report noted that eight SREB states supported dual enrollment with state-level funding while the other eight member states funded such programs through other sources. |
| S&P raises view of higher ed sector for 2022, but colleges' fortunes are diverging | |
| S&P Global Ratings revised its view of the U.S. not-for-profit higher education sector to stable, ending four years of negative outlooks even as it said it is monitoring divergence in fortunes between strong and weak institutions in the market. Factors boosting colleges' financial performance are federal relief funding, large investment gains in the 2021 fiscal year and rising auxiliary revenue in the fall, which comes after on-campus operations started recovering from large disruptions early in the pandemic. Strong state operating budgets are another plus for public universities, S&P wrote in a report on its 2022 outlook, which it released last week. Risks to colleges and their credit quality remain, including enrollment pressures, inflation, staffing issues, cybersecurity breaches and the possibility of events like governance scandals or social unrest. The stable outlook from S&P applies to the higher ed sector's expected credit quality in 2022. It aligns with views published last month by competitors Moody's Investors Service and Fitch Ratings, which issued stable and neutral outlooks for the new year, respectively. Ratings agencies typically review the debt of colleges that are better off than the average institution. But the agencies' work nonetheless gives them insight into market pressures and financial developments unfolding across higher ed, as well as into how past events are likely to affect the sector's future. "For the first time in several years, the college and university sector is experiencing financial tailwinds," the report said. |
SPORTS
| PREVIEW: Women's Basketball Hosts Missouri Thursday in Annual Think Pink Game | |
| The Mississippi State women's basketball program is back at home Thursday to host Missouri in its annual 'Think Pink Game' presented by OCH Regional Medical Center. The Bulldogs and Tigers will tip-off at 5:30 p.m. and be broadcast live on SEC Network. Mississippi State leads the all-time series, 9-3. When the game has been played in Starkville, the Bulldogs still have the series advantage, 3-2. The last meeting between the two programs was in Starkville on Feb. 28, 2021. Missouri walked away with the victory, 77-57. This will be the first of two meetings between the two programs this season. Mississippi State will travel to Columbia on Feb. 20. The pink game has always been special for Myah Taylor, and she has a history of showing out during the pink game. In three career 'Think Pink Games,' Taylor averages 11 points, four assists, two steals, and two rebounds. She scored 16 as a sophomore in 2020 and had 11 last season. She is also perfect from the free throw line (4-4). In 2020, Taylor scored 16 points, with six assists, three steals and two rebounds. Mizzou enters Thursday with a 15-5 overall record and 4-3 in the SEC. They won their most recent matchup against Texas A&M on Sunday, 78-69. |
| Carrying On The Memory: Annual pink game gives Myah Taylor another chance to honor her late grandmother | |
| Myah Taylor knew something wasn't right. Taylor, now a senior guard for Mississippi State, was just 12 years old at the time. As a seventh grader at Olive Branch Middle School, Taylor had just played in and won her district championship basketball game. She was sitting in the vehicle on her way home when she noticed things were off. "It just felt weird," Taylor recalled. "The energy just felt weird. It was my mom, my dad and my aunt. We're on the way home, but my aunt lives in Horn Lake. So I'm like, 'Why is she riding with me all the way home?'" The answer to, 'Why?' was heartbreaking. It was life-altering. And it's why on Thursday, when Taylor hits the floor for the Bulldogs' 5:30 p.m. game against Missouri, she'll be covered in pink from head to toe. Taylor's grandmother, Ozell Oliver, passed away from complications due to breast cancer on January 30, 2012. Taylor of course knew of the diagnosis long before the day she learned of her grandmother's passing. But the thought of losing her? Well, that wasn't something Taylor really considered. "I did start to notice changes to her physical appearance, but I was too young," Taylor said. "I asked my mom like, 'What's wrong with grandma?' Things like that. I didn't fully understand then. Those moments stick in my head now. I just didn't fully grasp what was going on." Oliver was Taylor's biggest fan. Whether Taylor was playing softball or basketball or whatever, it didn't matter. Oliver was almost always there cheering on Taylor. |
| Missouri's five players to watch in upcoming game against Mississippi State | |
| With its 78-69 win over Texas A&M, Missouri women's basketball (15-5, 4-3 SEC) is now on a two-game winning streak after a two-game losing streak. Along with improving from .500 in Southeastern Conference play, the Tigers also showcased their loaded offense. "We know who Mizzou is and has proven time and time again they can shoot the basketball," Texas A&M point guard Jordan Nixon said. "But when you have five players on the floor who can shoot the basketball, you have to be on your P's and Q's." With forward LaDazhia Williams coming off the bench, the Missouri starting five has been guard-heavy, with junior Aijha Blackwell serving as a part-time post player. While this can put the Tigers at a disadvantage sizewise, it can also make them one of the harder teams to guard with a scoring option just a pass away. Here is a breakdown of Missouri's five key players and the different threats they each will bring against Mississippi State (11-7, 2-4). |
| 'We respect her decision': MSU's Novak discusses Jackson's departure | |
| Mississippi State interim head coach Doug Novak met with reporters on Wednesday for the first time since his top player, Rickea Jackson, announced her intention to enter the transfer portal. Jackson's decision on Monday came in the midst of tension within the program -- a program that has seen three head coaches in the span of two years. The tension escalated with a locker-room confrontation between players during halftime of MSU's Jan. 16 loss at Ole Miss. Novak again referred to the tension while discussing Jackson's decision as the team prepares to face Missouri on Thursday. "We're all trying to make the best decisions we can with the knowledge that we have at any particular time," he said. "Sometimes they're the right ones. Sometimes they're the wrong ones. Sometimes we don't know for another five years if the decision was right or wrong. "But hopefully along the way we all gain wisdom from those decisions. We respect her decision and wish her nothing but the best of luck moving forward." Novak initially said Jackson's decision wasn't a surprise before clarifying that was referring to the general college athletics landscape and the tendency of players with an ample amount of opportunity to go elsewhere to transfer. "Obviously, it was a surprise when it actually happened," Novak said. |
| Bulldogs stats breakdown: Iverson Molinar proving he's among SEC's best | |
| Iverson Molinar has shot less than 50 percent from the field in a game just once in almost six weeks. On Jan. 15 against Alabama, Molinar finished 8 of 17 from the field, but he still scored 24 points and led Mississippi State to a win over the 24th-ranked Crimson Tide. It turned out to be one of four performances of 20 or more points for Molinar in the past five games, including a career-high 30 points Tuesday night in an overtime loss at Kentucky. That it stands as Molinar's poorest shooting night since Dec. 17 against Furman is a sign of just how good the Mississippi State junior point guard has become. By most offensive statistics, Molinar is one of the best guards -- if not the best -- in the potent Southeastern Conference. He is the SEC's second leading scorer at 18.4 points per game. He is second in free throw percentage at 87.6 percent. He is fifth in the conference in field goal percentage and even seventh in assists. Molinar has scored in double digits in every game this season, picking up the slack when his teammates have needed it. |
| Davidson Named To USA Softball Collegiate Player Of The Year Watchlist | |
| Mississippi State's Mia Davidson is one of 50 student-athletes across the country to be named to USA Softball's Collegiate Player of the Year Watchlist. The graduate student from Hillsborough, North Carolina, enters her final season needing just two home runs to tie the SEC career record. She is a three-time all-region selection and was selected as an All-American in 2019. That same year, she was a Top 10 Finalist for the Collegiate Player of the Year award. Last spring, Davidson started all 60 games, playing 45 at catcher but seeing time at every infield position. She led the team in runs (42) and was second in slugging percentage (.672), on-base percentage (.426), doubles (11), home runs (17), total bases (119) and walks (30). Davidson is one of 10 baseball and softball players in SEC history to have hit 65 or more career home runs and ranks third among those in career home runs per game (0.335). Her 69 career long balls trail only Oklahoma's Jocelyn Alo (88) for the most among active players entering 2022. Mississippi State opens the 2022 season on Feb. 11 at the Mark Campbell Invitational in Irvine, California, with a pair of games against Loyola Marymount and No. 1 Oklahoma. |
| Oxford Chamber announces launch of NIL program for Ole Miss student athletes | |
| The Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce a new program designed to connect student athletes at Ole Miss with career development opportunities and NIL benefits. This new program will be managed directly by the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce. Donors into the program will have the opportunity to invest in a fund that can benefit all student athletes at Ole Miss. The new era of NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) is an opportunity for student athletes to claim their name, image and likeness as a marketable item. The Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce offers an opportunity to provide benefits to all student athletes to participate in the financial benefits that are usually available only to the "stars" of the top level programs. "All student athletes will go pro in something, so let's set them up to have success in their chosen career path," said Jon Maynard, Chamber president and CEO. "We believe that this program is the first of its kind sponsored through a local Chamber of Commerce. We want to set the standard for making the NIL era as truly beneficial for the entire community as possible." The plan is to offer programs that will allow large and small donors to contribute into the fund. The Chamber will develop a portal in which the donor can contribute as little as $10 per month into the NIL program. |
| Travis Hunter, nation's No. 1 football prospect, enrolls at Jackson State | |
| Five-star cornerback Travis Hunter and four-star receiver Kevin Coleman have enrolled at Jackson State, a school spokesperson told The Clarion Ledger. Hunter has graduated from Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, Georgia. He's rated as the No. 1 college football prospect in the nation for the 2022 class, according to the 247Sports Composite. Hunter signed in December during the week of JSU's trip to nearby Atlanta for the Celebration Bowl. He was committed to Florida State for nearly two years before signing with the Tigers. The 6-foot-1, 165-pound Hunter is expected to play cornerback and wide receiver at JSU. He caught 85 passes for 1,284 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2021, leading Collins Hill to a Class AAAAAAA state title. He also intercepted four passes. Hunter's career totals at Collins Hill include 272 catches for 3,963 yards, 48 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. Hunter and Coleman are the highest-rated recruits in Jackson State history since the recruiting rankings era began. With their additions, along with signing day coming up next Wednesday, there's a chance this year's JSU class could end up topping last year's top-60 recruiting class. |
| Birmingham deal with SWAC brings 'Coach Prime' to Legion Field | |
 | It looks like "Coach Prime" is coming to Birmingham this fall. Birmingham has struck a deal with the Southwestern Athletic Conference to bring Jackson State University to Legion Field for games this year and in 2023 and 2024. Jackson State is coached by NFL legend Deion Sanders, whom Alabama Coach Nick Saban refers to as "Coach Prime" in a series of Aflac insurance commercials they've done together with the Aflac duck mascot. Sanders stunned college football recently by signing Travis Hunter, the top-ranked recruit in the country. This year's SWAC game in Birmingham will be Jackson State against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. In 2023 and 2024, Jackson State will play Southern University at Legion Field. The city has an option to renew in 2025 and 2026, with games that would feature Southern versus Alabama State University at Legion Field. The city has agreed to pay up to $300,000 per year of the contract with the league that features historically Black colleges and universities. "We want to control our own narrative and we want to control our own brand," said SWAC Commissioner Charles McClelland. "We think we can change the way business is done with HBCUs." It's also part of Birmingham's strategy to keep bringing sporting events to Legion Field. |
| Florida, Tennessee get in postgame altercation following joke about player's height | |
| A Florida player made a joke about Zakai Zeigler's height during the postgame handshake line after the Tennessee men's basketball team beat the Gators on Wednesday night at Thompson-Boling Arena, Volunteers coach Rick Barnes said. A slight brouhaha ensued in front of the scorer's table following the jab at the 5-foot-9 guard. It ended with Tennessee players doing the "Gator chomp" as Florida players exited the court. "There is a lot of chirping that goes on and a lot of things can happen going through the game," Barnes said on "The Rick Barnes Show." "I think someone made a comment about Zakai being too small. It can be a lot of different things." The Vols topped Florida 78-71, coming back from a 13-point deficit. Zeigler had 11 points, four assists and six rebounds. Only one Florida player --- 6-foot-7 forward Anthony Duruji --- had six rebounds. It is the second straight game that Tennessee and an opponent have had a contentious meeting in front of the scorer's table. UT and LSU personnel had a verbal kerfuffle next to the scorer's table after an LSU staff member apparently threw a basketball into the stands during pregame warmups. Wednesday's situation developed following a joke at Zeigler's expense, which prompted a reaction from the Vols. |
| Vanderbilt's Tim Corbin gives update on Kumar Rocker: 'On course to be very healthy' | |
 | Former Vanderbilt pitcher Kumar Rocker, who failed to sign with the New York Mets as the No. 10 overall pick in the MLB Draft due to injury concerns, is preparing for the 2022 draft. Rocker is splitting time between Knoxville and California working out, according to Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin. He is throwing off a mound and on track to potentially pitch in an independent league this summer. "Based on my conversations with him, (Rocker) could be playing a little bit of baseball this year but it would be in an independent league but I'm still not sure about that," Corbin told reporters Wednesday. "Those are the things that he's doing with his advisement. But he's doing well, he looks great, he looks as great as he's ever looked in my opinion over the last four years, he's working out very well and he's very much on course to be very healthy and be pitching at some point. ... Unfortunate situation, but he's made the best of it." Rocker has stayed out of the public eye ever since not signing by the deadline. He will not return to the Commodores this season but is still draft-eligible. A date for the draft has not yet been set due to the MLB lockout. |
| Azalea Trail Maids to be introduced on field and wearing 'iconic dresses' during Senior Bowl, officials say | |
| The Azalea Trail Maids will be introduced on the field at Hancock-Whitney Stadium ahead of the February 5 Reese's Senior Bowl while wearing their iconic antebellum-era dresses that have created some controversy in recent days, according to Senior Bowl leadership. A statement issued late Wednesday comes amid criticism directed at the Senior Bowl's executive director Jim Nagy and threats from some local officials about withdrawing public funding for the annual all-star football game. The backlash stems from a lack of an invitation for the Trail Maids to participate in the gameday activities. The latest statement came less than two days after the Senior Bowl confirmed the Trail Maids will march during the event's annual parade, participate in a welcoming event and greet fans as they arrive to the stadium. But outrage continued on social media, and among public officials, because the Trail Maids were not invited to participate during on-field activities before and during the game. Mobile City Council Scott Jones, in comments to a couple of TV stations, said he would vote against an annual appropriation the city provides for the event if the Trail Maids were not allowed onto the field. The controversy started a week ago during a Mobile County Commission work session. Commissioner Randall Dueitt, during the meeting, said he received "several calls" about the Trail Maids snub and blamed their lack of inclusion in the event on "cancel culture." Commissioner Connie Hudson then said the blame might be with the National Football League, which hosts the annual college all-star game in Mobile. The NFL has not weighed in on the controversy. |
| Big Ten discussing potential elimination of divisions as part of future football scheduling plans | |
| The future College Football Playoff format could have a major impact on whether the Big Ten eliminates divisions or changes the number of its annual conference games, Iowa athletics director Gary Barta told The Athletic. The Big Ten currently has East and West divisions and plays a nine-game conference schedule that includes three cross-divisional games. Big Ten administrators have discussed dropping to eight games beginning in 2023 so it can create matchups with teams from the Pac-12 and ACC conferences, with which the trio has a working arrangement called The Alliance. There also are serious discussions about the Big Ten ending divisional play with schools playing three opponents annually and cycling through the other 10 teams either every other year or two years on, two years off. "We've had several conversations," Barta said. "One of the things that we're watching is whether it's related to The Alliance, which we're talking through and/or, what gives us the best opportunity to have the most success in the College Football Playoff format? "We're wondering if we're going to know what the format is before we have to make that decision. So, we're kind of waiting to see where that lands. But we have had active conversations about the schedule beyond 2022." The Big Ten released a revised schedule for 2022 earlier in January, accommodating six location switches and balancing and dispersing its marquee matchups throughout the season. |
| What the success of trans swimmer Lia Thomas means for NCAA | |
| All Lia Thomas wants to do is swim. To her supporters, this is a revolutionary act; the transgender student athlete competing on the women's swim team at the University of Pennsylvania is a role model, breaking barriers -- and NCAA records. To her many detractors, however, Thomas's success signals the looming death of women's sports, as transgender athletes supposedly invade and corrupt the purity of such competitions. To the greater sports world, Thomas represents something entirely different: a challenge in thinking about competition in a new era where gender is seemingly as fluid as the pools Thomas has dominated since joining the Penn women's swim team this season, greatly surpassing the success she previously experienced in three years competing on the men's team. Thomas has complied with NCAA rules. After not competing in the 2020–21 season -- which the Ivy League canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic -- Thomas met the NCAA requirement that transgender athletes complete a year of testosterone-suppression treatment before competing in the women's division of a sport. Nonetheless, many see Thomas as an unwelcome entrant into women's sports. Now the sports world is grappling with how to handle the most visible transgender athlete in years amid questions of fairness as she dominates the swim lanes. Cynthia Millen resigned after 30 years as a USA Swimming official to protest Thomas's participation in women's swimming, which she sees as fundamentally unfair. Thomas's long body and larger hands and feet are physical attributes that set her apart from other competitors in the women's division, she said. She argues that those physical features can't be undone with testosterone suppression. "The advantage is never going to be taken away," Millen said. "Bodies swim against bodies, and Lia Thomas has a male body." |
| Ivy League executive director Robin Harris: NCAA 'missed opportunity' with new transgender athlete policy | |
| Ivy League executive director Robin Harris on Tuesday condemned the changes made last week to the NCAA's transgender athlete policy. She criticized the speed of the process and the policy's immediate effect, calling it "unprecedented." "I was shocked; I was dismayed; And I was angry," Harris said. "The NCAA has never, in my 30 years, implemented a new policy that could negatively impact a student-athlete's eligibility immediately. And that is what they've done here." The NCAA adopted a new policy affecting the eligibility of transgender athletes on Jan. 19. Instead of a uniform policy applying across all sports, the NCAA will use the policies of national governing bodies, which means requirements will vary by sport. Penn swimmer Lia Thomas has posted some of the best times in the country in the 200-yard, 500-yard, and 1,650-yard freestyle events. Thomas, who is transgender, will be eligible to swim at the Ivy League championships Feb. 16-19, unless an update to FINA and USA Swimming policies render her ineligible. She has qualified for the NCAA championships in the 200 and 500 after posting the nation's top times in those events at a meet in early December. Critics of Thomas -- who swam on the Penn men's team for three seasons -- allege she has an unfair advantage. |
| Justice Breyer Retirement a Setback for NCAA Traditionalists | |
| The retirement of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer will alter the Court's dynamics, including in regard to college sports cases. Breyer, 83, has expressed support for the traditions of college sports -- a sharp contrast to more critical viewpoints shared by Justice Brett Kavanaugh and others. Breyer's retirement is not yet official, though NBC News, the Associated Press and other national media have reported on it. After Breyer's retirement is formally announced, President Joe Biden will interview candidates for the nomination. During the 2020 presidential election and at other times, Biden has pledged to nominate the first black woman to the Court. Whoever is nominated will likely face a challenging confirmation process before the U.S. Senate, which is evenly divided among Democrats and Republicans and has struggled to pass major pieces of Biden's agenda. During the oral argument last March for NCAA v. Alston, Breyer, a former Harvard Law School professor and U.S. Army veteran, repeatedly voiced concerns about the Court forcing change in college sports. "It's a tough case for me," Breyer said at the time. The case concerned whether the NCAA and its members had violated antitrust law by conspiring to limit how much each college can compensate athletes for academic-related costs. The NCAA's arguments relied on the Court's 1984 ruling in NCAA v. Board of Regents. Although the NCAA lost that case, Justice John Paul Stevens wrote that the NCAA is owed "ample latitude" in determining the contours of amateurism for college athletes. Stevens described college sports in a romanticized way, suggesting it is inherently different and more innocent than other businesses. Breyer seemed to endorse that viewpoint. |
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